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Blu-ray players buying guide

How to choose the right Blu-ray or DVD player

Jeff Miller

How did I earn the nickname "headphone guy" here at Crutchfield? Through extensive training, research, and good old-fashioned hands-on experience. I've spent thousands of hours listening to different models, and thousands more writing about them. My other areas of expertise include voice control, streaming audio and video, and power protection.

My love of headphones started back when I was in elementary school, and my parents gave me a Walkman. I still love the intimate, wonderfully detailed sound you can get from the right headphone setup.

I spent the first eight years of my Crutchfield career in our customer support department. Listening to thousands of customer stories gave me real-world insights into what makes people happy.

About Jeff

Started at Crutchfield in 2006

Completed our thorough in-house Advisor training, learning the details of every type of product we sell

Attends dozens of vendor training events each year

Travels to industry events like CanJam NYC and the Capital AudioFest

Interviewed some of the headphone industry's most accomplished engineers and product designers

Authored dozens of Crutchfield articles and hundreds of product presentations

Jeff's passion for headphones and his commitment to hands-on experience exemplify Crutchfield's mission to exceed our customers' expectations by providing an abundance of helpful information.

Blu-ray discs provide popcorn-ready entertainment with crystal-clear picture and thrilling sound. But many Blu-ray players do much more than just play discs. They give you on-demand access to movies and TV shows through streaming services like Netflix®. They can also serve as music players for CDs and digital music files.

Need help choosing one? This guide will get you started.

Why a disc player?

While streaming is convenient, Blu-ray discs aren’t dependent on a high-speed Internet connection for 1080p video and surround sound. And it's still pretty easy to rent Blu-rays and DVDs from Redbox® and other supermarket kiosks (all Blu-ray players can play DVDs, too).

Discs are great for repeat viewings (if you have young children, you’ll know where I’m coming from). You also get special features like deleted scenes, “making of” documentaries, and director’s commentary.

You can still stream movies, shows, and music

It's not as if you have to choose between discs and streaming — most Blu-ray players connect to your home network. Some players require a wired Ethernet connection, while others work wirelessly over Wi-Fi®.

Once you're connected you'll have access to online apps and services, with different players offering different content. You might see Netflix, Hulu Plus™, YouTube® , and Amazon Instant Video. Many have Pandora® for music. Some players include specialty services like HBO GO, WWE Network, or MLB.TV.

Top-notch picture

All standard Blu-ray players deliver Blu-ray discs in 1080p resolution for a high-definition picture with deep colors and sharp detail. Since they don't require compression, discs are capable of a picture better than high-definition streaming. Blu-ray players also upconvert standard DVDs to 1080p.

Ultra HD Blu-ray is here

4K Blu-ray players and discs are now available and can maximize the performance of Ultra HD TVs. We have a growing selection of 4K Blu-ray players, and there are many Ultra HD Blu-ray movie titles available.

4K TVs have four times as many pixels as a 1080p HDTV, for an extremely accurate picture.

Full 3,840 x2,160 pixel resolution — In fact you probably won’t notice any pixels at all. Your movies will have a sharper picture that looks lifelike, even if you’re sitting close to a very large screen. You'll get the visual impact of a larger picture, but you won't have to move your seating position any further back.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) — 4K Blu-ray discs with HDR offer the absolute best picture quality currently available. HDR offers a whole new level of contrast. You'll see both really bright and really dark images within the same scene.

Accurate, exciting movie sound

Blu-ray players can also help you get the most from your home theater speakers. They offer the top surround sound formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, which offer discrete 7.1-channel playback and lossless audio for a more genuine and thrilling movie experience.

They'll also play Dolby Atmos content through a compatible home theater receivers. Using in-ceiling or special Dolby enabled speakers, this new sound format projects sounds and atmospheric effects from all around your seating position, including above.

Play all your tunes through your best speakers

In the Crutchfield Lab, an Oppo universal Blu-ray player is our primary music source. It delivers high-res tunes with exceptional detail.

Blu-ray players aren't just about picture, they're great for listening to music, too. If you have stereo or surround speakers in your TV room, or even a sound bar, this really comes in handy.

CDs are a simple choice — every Blu-ray player can play them. Plus, most offer Pandora or other streaming music services. Here are some other music features to look for:

USB drive — To play digital music files from a thumb drive or external hard drive.

DLNA capability — Lets you stream music (and sometimes photos and videos) from a compatible computer or portable device.

High-resolution Audio — High-res music files sound more natural and dynamic than MP3s or other "lossy" digital files. Look for these ways to play High-res music:

SACDs, DVD-Audio, and other high-resolution discs.

Lossless files like FLAC, DSD, AIFF, WAV, or ALAC — from a thumb drive or external hard drive through the USB ports

Higher-end players are often designed with music listening in mind. They are more solidly constructed to maximize picture and sound performance by reducing resonance and keeping discs stable as they spin. Many of them include a high-grade digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that are capable of outstanding sound quality over both stereo and multichannel sources.

Some players have the ability to shut off video circuitry when you're listening to music, so there’s no interference with the audio signal. Others house audio and video circuitry completely separate from one another for pristine sound. Some higher-end players separate the power supply, video driver, and audio circuitry, reducing interference and delivering superb picture and sound.

All Blu-ray players have an HDMI output to connect the player to your TV or receiver. But if you’re going to connect it to an audio system without HDMI connections, look for a player with dedicated audio outputs. Many players offer optical or coaxial digital audio outputs for sending audio to an older home theater receiver or a sound bar.

Premium players have analog outputs for another reason — music. High-performance players offer stereo or multichannel analog outputs, so you can take advantage of the player’s superior digital audio processing.

Screen mirroring — Send pictures, high-definition videos, and music from an Android™ phone or tablet to your big screen using a technology called Miracast (Samsung's version is called AllShare).

YouTube on the big screen — When your player is on the same home network as your phone, the latest version of the YouTube app lets you “throw” clips to your TV. No more squinting to watch the latest movie trailers or music videos.

We can help you choose

Our expert Advisors know the gear inside and out. Your Advisor can send specific Crutchfield pages to your screen, saving you a lot of browsing time. You'll get a shopping cart loaded up with everything you need for your new home theater.

Blu Ray superior sound, is an understatement.
Example:
I have 2 blu ray players which are ..
1. LG 3D Blu Ray (2012)
2. Magnavox Blu Ray (2005)
Believe it or not?
The older 2005 Magnavox player has way better audio
then the newer LG 3D player.
I've tested it on all 3 audio formats CD, DVD & Blu Ray.
Stereo separation is better.
Soundfield holography is better.
Richer sound at higher volumes as well.
Having said that, I did notice the LG player's audio excel
during 3D movie playback.
According to LG it's due to their 3D sound decryption encoded
in the 3D master audio.
Now, the Magnavox isn't a 3D player so I couldn't compare it with LG
in this field of playback.
It's not to say that LG has inferior sound, because it's still superior
to standard CD & DVD players at a working man's price tag.
No doubt there are high end CD players that will compete with and in some
cases outperform Blu Ray players.
However, in the real world, Blu Ray players will reign supreme in audio playback
especially in players in the working man's price range.
Blu Ray rocks and always will!
I believe standard Blu Ray players will be with us for awhile yet until 4K players
and 4K TV sets price tags calm down some.
Then, ATMOS, DTS-X & AUROS 3D sound formats will rule the Home Theater Universe!
~ peace

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Jeff Miller from Crutchfield

Posted on 4/18/2018

Kevin,
Our hands-on research team is digging into this to find you an answer. I will say it is not a feature of every 4K Blu-ray player, but there may be some that give you this level of control. There may also be a setting on your TV you can use, depending on the model.

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Jeff Miller from Crutchfield

Posted on 4/18/2018

Kevin,
Our hands-on research team is digging into this to find you an answer. I will say it is not of every 4K Blu-ray player, but there may be some that give you this level of control. Depending on your TV, there may also be a feature there you can use.

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Kevin from Tulsa

Posted on 4/12/2018

Does one have the option on a 4k Blu-ray player to watch a 4k blu ray disc in non-HDR-10 or non-Dolby Vision? I'm not a fan of either HDR or DV but I enjoy 4k.

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Dennis from Dearborn

Posted on 12/27/2017

Having a hometheater system for over 17 years I experience the changes in all the technology that continues today. I saw the loss of Pioneer Elite HDTV's, Blu Ray players ( I own a 23 FD) never to see another one in 4K, and a few inexpensive new 4K players on the market. But the only one judged to be the best is OPPO, a brand I never heard of before. Since Sony, Pioneer, Denon, Yamaha, onkyo, Samsung, and others fail to make the grade as finer BlU Ray players, and cheap tv is on the market, where are the better competing brand 4K Blu-ray players? I own a HD plasma that works great, but I see the difference in the higher end 4K TVS and need to know which 4K will deliver the best picture for them.

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Robert from Waynesboro

Posted on 6/25/2017

Already outdated, buy a PS4 or XB1 and be happy (ier)! Prices need to come way down to stay relevant these days.

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Clarke from Kelly Willis

Posted on 5/3/2017

I'm using a Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 8350 fed by HDMI from a standard priced Sony and Panasonic Blu-ray player(s). Have a 92" screen. Will I see an improvement in picture quality with the UDP-203?

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Jeff Miller from Crutchfield

Posted on 1/12/2017

Scott, I haven't had a chance to try out the XBOX ONE S, but will send my thoughts when I have. Would love to hear from someone who has used it.

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Eric from Bloomington

Posted on 1/11/2017

The Oppo 203 is a fantastic BD and UBD player and its audio qtly is at the top of the class.

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Scott P. from Pittsburgh

Posted on 1/6/2017

How does an Xbox one-s 4k compare to a stand alone Blu Ray, 4k player?

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Jeff Miller from Crutchfield

Posted on 11/9/2016

John, Dolby Atmos is a three-dimenional audio format that completely envelops you with movie effects, including sounds from above. DTS has a similar "object-based" sound format called DTS:X. This article explains both.

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John Micieli from Palm Coast Fl

Posted on 11/6/2016

Hey Jeff, What is Dolby Atmos. I have a Sony 7.1, ( purchased from Cruthcfield ). receiver that plays DolbyTrueHD and DTS-Master Audio, that sounds great. Is the Dolby Atmos new?

I have read that the standards for 4k UHD are still in flux. Should I wait to by a 4k DVD player until this all shakes out? Or will say the Samsung K8500 be able to accommodate future standards with a software upgrade?

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BigFED from DFW

Posted on 7/15/2016

Whatever! This is "ENTERTAIMENT"!!! It is NOT a life altering event! The ABILITY of the equipment to replay anything exceeds to quality of most programs!!!

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Jeff Miller from Crutchfield

Posted on 7/4/2016

John, Unfortunately front-panel displays have largely been dropped. I also like quickly glancing down to see how far I am through a show or movie (rather than pushing a button so it shows up on-screen). I think it is trade-off for the more compact player designs. I've forwarded your question to an Advisor to see if we can find anything that might work for you.

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John Torbert from Birmingham

Posted on 7/3/2016

Are there any inexpensive players with front panel displays? I need an inexpensive unit for the interim before I change to 4K resolution in a few years. My old Samsung quit playing audio through it's HDMI port. I'm used to seeing the display. Is this being replaced by an on-screen interface that is more functional?

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Jeff Miller from Crutchfield

Posted on 11/2/2015

Ken, every Blu-ray player that supports Dolby TrueHD should support Dolby Atmos. That includes every player we currently carry (I just double-checked). You'll want to make sure that the HDMI audio output is set to "bitstream," and that you have an Atmos-enabled home theater receiver.

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Ken from Vero Beach

Posted on 10/31/2015

Where can I find a list of Blu-ray dvd players that support Dolby Atmos? Thank you.

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Jeff Miller from Crutchfield

Posted on 7/8/2015

Deepak, Most Blu-ray player have video upconversion to give standard DVDs a boost in picture quality

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Deepak Deodhar from Pune,India

Posted on 7/7/2015

Can I get a better viewing of ordinary cd or dvd .if played on blue ray player?

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Jeff Miller from Crutchfield

Posted on 6/26/2015

Albert, all of our Blu-ray and DVD players play region 1 discs, made for the U.S. market.

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albert schulz from california

Posted on 6/24/2015

Can Blu-ray dvd players play both region 1 and 2 disc's

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David Willis from Fort McCoy, FL, USA

Posted on 6/6/2015

GOOD INTRO FOR BEGINNERS OR THOSE JUST STARTING TO BUILD A HOME ENTERTAINMENT CENTER FROM... WHO ELSE.. BUT CRUTCHFIELD WHO DOES A LOT MORE FOR CUSTOMERS THAN JUST 'SELL' PRODUCT. CUSTOMER FROM LATE '70'S. David Willis